Apaharan is a movie which is based on the real life political scenario that exists in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh today. The situation described in the film is about a young student who had the firm determination to join the Police Department but the corruption in the political setup denied him the chance to fulfil this aim and compelled him to take up a path he could not have dreamt in his life.

The story starts with depiction of the scene where Ajay Devgan plays the role of the student. He is shown to be the son of that man who is idolized in the existing political system. Ajay is in love with a girl from a middle class family played by Bipasha Basu. A hardworking student, he tries to clear the entrance exam to enter the police department, unaware of the ground reality of the system. Little did he know that admission to such offices was not on the basis of merit, one became a police officer by paying bribes or through big contacts. Since his father refused to refer him, he was left with no option but to arrange for the bribe money.

Though he somehow arranges the money, an unfortunate incident makes him lose all of it. The twist in the tale starts here as Ajay goes on to kidnap a rich and affluent person and demand ransom to repay his loan. A series of events follow, as Ajay gets more and more entangled in the web of mafia, going deeper into the criminal system.

As he tries to save his skin, he joins the most powerful don played by Nana Patekar, who is also his father’s opponent contesting for the position of the Home Minister. Meanwhile Ajay’s girlfriend also deserts him when she comes to know about his links with the mafia. A life gone berserk, Ajay falls deeper into the bottomless abyss of the criminal world.

With an amazing performance from Ajay Devgan, and Bipasha Basu in a convincing role and a great performance by Nana Patekar, Apharan is a movie that is food for thought. How the system instills crime in an otherwise idealistic individual in times of desperation and helplessness has well been captured by director Prakash Jha.

This is the story of an aspiration gone haywire. A dream unfulfilled due to rampant corruption, and the birth of a criminal. A touching story of how the corruption and crime in states like UP and Bihar instills crime in you and shatters all faith and honesty, not just in the system but also in the individual himself.